


Citrine

by princess_yosuke



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Fluff, Gem Names used instead, Hurt and comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Steven Universe AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 19:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5018038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_yosuke/pseuds/princess_yosuke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fusion is stronger when its made of love. Here is the story of how two Gems became one.<br/>(Written for 1000 Follower Request Giveaway on Tumblr!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Citrine

**Author's Note:**

> Wow this fic is a VERY different mix to the previous two requests! But also one I've been super excited about writing!!! This fic was requested by missoyashirou, who helped me immensely with creating the Persona Universe AU! You can check it out[here ](http://p4-souji-hanamura.tumblr.com/post/124812111253/persona-universe-steven-universe-au-part-1) and I strongly suggest you do before reading this fic!  
> BTW since it is a Steven Universe AU, the Persona crew are gonna be referred to by Gem Names. So for reference, Cat's Eye is Souji, Tiger's Eye is Yosuke, Spinel is Chisato Dojima, and Moonstone is Rise.  
> Hope you guys enjoy!

“Cat’s Eye!!”

He ignored the cries of his teammates, racing further into the dark depths of the cave. This place was dangerous, Moonstone had stated as much during her survey, but that didn’t stop him. There was a sadistic irony to it all, Cat’s Eye had always been counted on to be the cool-headed one, the one that didn’t run headfirst into danger, the one who assessed the situation before taking any action. But that mindset had been had been thrown completely out the window when Tiger’s Eye had fled from the group in a panic.

They knew the risks when investigating ancient ruins, there’d always be a danger in encountering a corrupted Gem monster, or some other horror. After all, that was their job now, cleaning up the mess on this planet that the war had left behind. It was hard, really hard to face creatures that were once like them, now twisted and deformed into some unrecognizable abomination. But it was especially tough on Tiger, everyone knew that. Facing former comrades was painful enough, being able to sense what they were feeling in their deformed state while doing so was beyond what words could describe.

Something about this Gem had been too much for Tiger, be it the enclosed space, or the fact that this corrupted Gem may have been trapped here for thousands of years, he had mentioned that he could sense the Gem’s pain from a mile off, and the feeling had only grown worse the closer they got to the cave. Cat should have seen the signs, he knew Tiger better than the others, perhaps even more than their leader Spinel did. He should have seen Tiger’s discomfort when they’d entered the forsaken cave. He could have helped him, calmed him. Instead he’d ignored it, and now Tiger…his Tiger was gone, alone and afraid, and in great danger.

Cat gritted his teeth, calling on all the energy he had within him to pick up his speed. He wasn’t as fast as Tiger, but he was fast enough. Every second counted, and Cat’s Eye was not going to lose him. Not now.

“Tiger!!!” he yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. The darkness was no problem for him, being a Cat’s Eye came with its perks, allowing him to easily manoeuvre through the cave. But being able to see didn’t stop him from having no idea where he was headed, without Moonstone’s guidance this place was a labyrinth, and every turn he took could have led him further away from Tiger’s Eye. “Tiger where are you!?”

“S-STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

Cat felt his heart stop at the scream, partly from relief that he could hear Tiger’s Eye, meaning he was close by. But also from dread, as the tone in the other Gem’s voice confirmed his worse fears. Whatever was lurking in this cave had found him. Without a second thought, Cat bolted in the direction Tiger’s voice had come from.

—

Tiger’s Eye let out a grunt of pain as his back slammed against the wall of the cave, his kunai scattering across the floor. Dazed, unarmed and completely overwhelmed by whatever the presence had blindsided him in his panic.

Even if he couldn’t see the corrupted Gem, he could still sense it, drawing closer and closer. A horrific mess of pain and sadness trapped for years within the confines of this cave. The sensation of the monster’s torment had been too much for Tiger, even from a mile away he could sense the sickening feeling, and once he’d stepped into the cave it had become too much for him to handle, he needed to escape, to get away this madness.

He’d been such an idiot, he should have had this stupid power under control by now. It made him a liability, and he was sure everyone knew it. What use was a Gem, that couldn’t control his own emotions? And now he was alone, against a monster he couldn’t even hope to defeat. He tried to stand up, but to no avail, still winded from the last attack. The monster however didn’t care about that. It loomed over the lone Gem, a writhing monstrosity of limbs and teeth, corrupted to the point where its true form was unrecognizable. Driven to a tragic insanity, just like the rest.

Tiger closed his eyes, waiting for the blow to come. Would the others ever find his gem if it managed to destroy his physical form? Would he be even able to regenerate, or would he too become a twisted abomination like this poor creature?

Would he ever see Cat’s Eye again?

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

The familiar voice pierced though the cave, distracting the monster. A new emotion now resonated in the air, unadulterated fury. Tiger’s Eye weakly turned his gaze to where the voice had come from. There was Cat’s Eye, rushing towards the monstrosity, longsword drawn and a look of rage-fuelled determination in his eye. He’d never felt this presence on the other Gem before, it was a terrifying transformation from the usual soothing calmness that often emanated from Cat’s Eye. But he didn’t feel scared by it, instead he felt safe, like somehow everything was going to turn out okay.

Cat leapt onto the monster’s back plunging his sword deep into its flesh. The monster roared in pain, the walls of the cave shaking from its reverberation. It desperately tried to fling the Gem from it, but Cat refused to budge, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter and twisting it further in. The ungodly screams deafened Tiger, both in sound and emotion. He clasped his hands over his ears, in attempt to block out the noise, squeezing his eyes shut in the hope of dulling the extreme sensation of agony he could feel for the corrupted Gem.

The screams subsided, and the clatter of something hitting the floor rang out across the room, signalling that the battle was over. Cat was at Tiger’s side in an instant, mindlessly bubbling and teleporting the gem away without a second thought. He could feel the curl of fingers lightly grip his chin, and the next thing he knew he was staring into the sterling silver eyes of the Gem he cared so much for.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” Cat’s Eye whispered, voice hoarse from the battle, Tiger could feel his worry, and it was even more painful than any of the injuries he’d sustained.

“I shouldn’t have run off,” He stated, desperately looking away from Cat’s intense stare. “I couldn’t control it.”

“I know Tiger,” Cat said soothingly, running his fingers through the other Gem’s hair. “You couldn’t help it.”

It was all too much, Tiger had to pull away. He didn’t deserve Cat’s concern, not after what happened. “But I should be able to, I should be able to block it all out. That’s what Tiger’s Eyes do.”

The anger that bristled through him was his own this time, as he called back a memory he desperately wished he could forget. Back on Homeworld, Tiger’s Eyes were a race of Gems, designed and raised to be assassins for the elite. They were known for their cruel and cold appearance, devoid of any emotion, and trained to kill without hesitation. Tiger’s empath powers had been considered a defect in his creation. A killer with emotions, who could feel for his target. Such a power wasn’t welcome in his clan, and if it weren’t for Spinel’s intervention he would have surely been executed. Their time on Homeworld had long since passed, but Tiger’s Eye still carried the scars of that experience. The feeling of being hated by your own kind, the isolation, the self-hatred he felt every time he couldn’t keep his powers under control.

“Why did you run after me?” Tiger asked, his soft voice cutting through the silence.

“Huh?”

Tiger focused down at his hands, refusing to meet the other Gem’s eye. They were clenched into two tight balls on his knees to stop them from trembling, the adrenaline inside him hadn’t settled yet. “You…you could have gotten yourself killed. You’re too valuable to lose.”

“And you’re not!?” The sharp tone of Cat’s voice alone was enough to tell Tiger what the dark cave couldn’t show.

Tiger bit down on his lip, regretting he’d even mentioned it, “Of course I’m not,” He snapped back, “Look at me Cat! I can’t even handle the one mission we all set out to do because of this stupid power!”

“Tiger, that’s enough,” Cat said firmly, placing his hands on the other Gem’s shoulders, forcing him to face him.

“No it isn’t!” Tiger’s Eye shook him off in irritation. He tried to stand and put some distance between them, but his legs were too shaky to hold his weight. “I’m a liability to this team and everyone knows it! The only time I can do anything good is when we become Citri–“

He stopped himself from speaking any further, he wasn’t going to bring Citrine into this. Citrine was the only good thing about himself that he loved, the feeling he got when he and Cat fused, the sense of completion and familiarity he’d been searching for his entire life. Citrine was the best of both of them, too good and too pure to be spoiled by Tiger’s hatred of himself.  He didn’t deserve Citrine, just like he didn’t deserve Cat.

But Cat deserved to know his true feelings. He was his best friend, his partner, they were in this together until the end, that’s what they’d promised each other. If he couldn’t share his own insecurities about himself with Cat, then he was better off being destroyed by that monster. That’s what fusion was about after all, letting your partner see you for who you truly were, insecurities and all. An equal exchange of trust.

He sighed, looking back at Cat and mustering up what courage he could find, “You want to know the only time I feel good about myself? It’s when we’re fused together, when we become Citrine. It’s the only time I feel like my powers might be a good thing you know? When we’re Citrine, it’s the best feeling in the whole world.”

Before he knew it Cat was intertwining his fingers with his own, and something stung at him. It was an emotion he’d felt a lot whenever he was with Cat’s Eye, an emotion he never felt he could describe. A mixture of happiness, sadness and something else, longing maybe? It was enough to almost make him cry at the overwhelming sensation of it all. He couldn’t help but smile at that thought, over the years he’d felt like he’d experienced every feeling there could be, but then again Cat always found ways to surprise him. He was too good for him.

“I want to be worthy of you Cat’s Eye.”

Cat’s Eye blinked in surprise, clearly taken aback by Tiger’s confession, “What?”

“You’re amazing, you’re strong and brave, and you look after all of us!” Tiger continued, his cheeks felt wet, he mustn’t have been able to hold back his tears anymore.  “Compared to you I’m just a defective Tiger’s Eye who can’t keep his emotions in check…”

He looked down at his hand in Cat’s, squeezing it tightly in comfort, “That’s why I want to be worthy of you.” He said, his voice barely loud enough, but he knew Cat could hear every word. “So when we fuse it doesn’t feel like I’m just using you.”

Cat stared at him in silence, and Tiger could feel the regret bubble inside of him. He’d said too much, there was no way the other Gem would accept him now. After all, Cat was perfect to Tiger, why he wasted his time on someone like him was beyond his line of reasoning. He didn’t deserve Cat’s kindness, he never did. But he loved it, cherished it, and wished for it every second of the day. And now that he’d confessed everything in the heat of the moment, he was never going to have it again.

But instead Cat laughed, pulling the other Gem into a tight embrace. “For all your powers,” he muttered into Tiger’s neck. “You really are clueless.”

Now it was Tiger’s turn to be confused. “Huh?”

“Don’t you see?” Cat said, pulling back from the other Gem, a warm smile on his face, and his eyes seemed to sparkle like stars. “Don’t you see how crazy I am for you?”

It felt as if Tiger’s heart had leapt into his throat. There was that feeling again, that foreign and strange feeling that both scared and enticed him. It was emanating like a radiant light around Cat, drawing him in like a beacon.  “W-What?” he managed to stammer out in his catatonia.

“You said that when we fused, it was the best feeling in the world for you,” Cat’s Eye explained, rubbing his fingers lightly against the gem on Tiger’s wrist. “It’s the same for me too. Being with you, feeling what you feel, seeing the world like you see it. That’s something I never want to lose. You might not see much in yourself Tiger, but I see heaps. I see a loyal, kind Gem who always goes out of his way to help others, who always sees the good in everyone. That feeling you have when you fuse? That’s my love for you, and everything about you. ”

His eyes bore into Tiger, as if it was staring past his body and straight into his soul.

“Because you’re my everything Tiger’s Eye!”

The words were so raw, so filled with love that it took Tiger nearly a whole minute to understand what he’d said.  He could feel everything in that moment, the warmth of Cat’s hand in his, the saltiness of the tears against his face, his shaky breath. The overwhelming power behind Cat’s confession that made it seem like the whole world around him could explode at any second and he wouldn’t care, just as long as his last moments were with Cat’s Eye.

That’s when he finally realized. That feeling he’d felt every time he was with Cat’s Eye, that feeling he could never truly comprehend. It was love, but something more than that, he knew what the feeling of love was after all. This was someone loving him, loving being with him, loving him despite everything. That was something he’d never known, not back on Homeworld, not with his clan, not even with rest of the team. This was a feeling he could only experience from Cat’s Eye, something he didn’t even need fusion to feel.

“C-Cat…I,” He didn’t know what to say, what do you say to the Gem who just admitted they loved you unconditionally?

He didn’t need to say anything, they both knew that. Cat gently held the hand he’d been stroking, cradling it like some precious treasure. Slowly he brought it up to his face, placing it against his cheek.

“You don’t need to prove anything to me Tiger,” Cat murmured sweetly, pressing his lips against the gem on Tiger’s wrist. “You’re already perfect the way you are.”

The touch was so intimate, so full of love and trust, that Tiger couldn’t hold back anymore. A sob escaped his throat and he threw himself at the other Gem, crying into his chest. He didn’t deserve Cat’s Eye, but he didn’t care. He wanted him, he’d always wanted him, and here he was offering himself to Tiger, promising to love him, to love all of him no matter what.

“You’re my everything too.” He cried as he felt Cat’s arms tightened around him, he slowly raised his head and saw Cat looking down at him, eyes filled with nothing but love. Slowly, the distance between the two closed, and soft lips brushed against his.

He felt a power swirl around the two of them engulfing them in a bright light, he could help but smile against Cat as he felt the other Gem do the same. Fusion usually required a dance in order to occur, a ritual of sacred trust and faith. But what they had was more than that, so much more. He pulled Cat closer as he surrendered himself to the warm familiar glow. Somehow he knew everything would be alright, he had Cat’s Eye, now and forever, and that was all he needed.

He was finally complete.

—-

  
“Spinel I think I found them!” Moonstone gasped jumping up from where she sat on the cold stone ground.  Her face scrunched up in confusion through her summoned visor, as she looked harder at the readings that were flying across it. “Only…”

“What is it Moonstone?” Spinel asked, the leader of the Earth Gems rushing to the younger one’s side. She had been beside herself with worry when Tiger’s Eye had fled deeper into the cave, and then Cat’s Eye following immediately afterwards.  She would have rushed after them but she couldn’t leave Moonstone behind to defend herself. Instead she had chosen to wait at the entrance, allowing Moonstone to continue her analysis of the cave, hoping for some sign that the two missing Gems were unharmed.

“It can’t be!” Moonstone exclaimed turning on her heel to look at the pathway behind her. Spinel followed her gaze, and couldn’t help the gasp of surprise that escaped her when she saw what was there.

“Sorry to keep you guys waiting.” The Gem replied, they gave them an apologetic look, obviously guilty over the trouble they’d caused. Their two gems, one on each wrist glinted in the darkness.

“Citrine?”

“You two fused?” Moonstone commented, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Her scans had showed that any injuries the two Gems had sustained were gone as soon as they had fused. “Was there a battle?”

“The monster is gone now.” Was all that Citrine said, heading back towards the exit of the cave. Ignoring the dumbfounded expressions. “We have what we came for.”

It finally clicked in Spinel’s mind. If the battle was over there would have been no reason for Cat and Tiger to stay fused like that. But there was a reason, there had always been a reason there. She’d seen it every time the two had looked at each other. Citrine was a result of their love, beautiful and radiant. A symbol of completion, just as every fusion should have been. An act tainted by the Homeworld, purified again by the love and trust of her two friends.

She smiled despite herself. It was about freaking time.

Moonstone, being her young, innocent self didn’t get it. “So are you two gonna unfuse now or…”

“No,” Citrine interrupted her and Spinel could feel a presence emanating from them so strongly that she didn’t need Tiger’s Eye’s power to sense it. A feeling of wholeness, Citrine had made a choice, she understood it perfectly, and she couldn’t be anymore prouder for them.

“We’re Citrine now and we’re going to stay that way.”


End file.
